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Why did the war between France and Spain continue after the Peace of Westphalia?

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Jules, Cardinal Mazarin Jules, Cardinal Mazarin, detail of a portrait by Philippe de Champaigne; in the Musée Condé, Chantilly, France.

The war between France and Spain continued after the Peace of Westphalia (1648) primarily because Spain refused to agree to the settlement, hoping to maintain its military position and pursue its own strategic interests.12

While the Peace of Westphalia established a general European settlement for Germany, Spain remained committed to its conflict with France. Encouraged by the defection of the United Provinces—which had signed a separate peace with Spain in January 1648—the Spanish court believed it could still achieve a favorable outcome. Furthermore, Spain was emboldened by the temporary internal instability in France caused by the Fronde, a series of civil disturbances that lasted until 1653.123

Cardinal Jules Mazarin, the chief minister of France, continued the war to force Spain into a settlement, eventually forming an alliance with England in 1657 to secure a decisive advantage. The conflict finally concluded with the Peace of the Pyrenees in 1659.14